It's Still Life

1.
Thankful that I was able to catch a photo of this before sunrise clawed back every flash of hoar frost that was left overnight. A hoar frost is one of nature’s true magical exhibits. All it takes is a cold, clear night with calm, dry air to form delicate ice crystals. As a child, I always thought it looked like white hair. Now that I have white hair, I can rebuke that; it looks nothing like my white hair.

3.
Winter’s coming. Holly. Berries.

This one is the female bush. It’s setting berries. Only the female bush sets berries, but it needs a male bush to … yes, birds and bees; we all know the story.

4.
The Return of the Minty-Triffids. Now showing.

Darned thing died. I mean, like completely disappeared from sight; into some other nonlinear pot — until the rain returned.

I am delighted. It’s brilliant for floriography. And tea.

5.
This happens every year following the bonfires and fireworks from Guy Fawkes’ Night. The air is filled with smog and fog and the lingering scent of sulfur from gunpowder and ozone. Pretty, yes, but not good if your lungs are weak. I cut my morning walk short that morning.

6.
Thankful for learning floriography. Primrose = gratitude; cyclamen = hold dear; fern = sincerity; sage = wisdom; African basil = warmth and protection; gypsophila = everlasting. So, this posy might be saying “Your wisdom, your warmth, and your presence, whether near or far, is quietly cherished, and never forgotten”. And that’s floriography! The Victorian language of plants and flowers.

7.
Rosehips. My grandmother used to make the worst tasting rosehip jelly. It sent shivers up and then back down my spine, and ruined perfectly good toast. I don’t make rosehip jam or jelly — I just let them ripen on the bush like bright jewels.

8.
Thankful to sit in on a lecture about The Great Floods of history, and their connection to ancient wisdom, magick, religions, spirituality, science and how these events reset human civilisation.

That’s not the real flood, the image, by the way. That’s Midjourney’s. (I think the bot is still laughing) Although I did add Edward Gorey and a high degree of chaos to the prompt.

9.
Thankful in the extreme that I persuaded my eldest son not to chop down trees behind his house because he hates raking leaves. FFS. 

No photos for this one; he lives in Virginia, and I’m on the other side of the Atlantic. Besides, you already know what a tree looks like.

10.
Seven Sentence … oh, wait, no. Six Sentences. Stories, that is.

Last week’s double instalment because I wanted to move beyond “set-the-scene” stuff, and this week’s episode is here.